About Me

This site is the inspiration of a former reporter/photographer for one of New England's largest daily newspapers and for various magazines. The intent is to direct readers to interesting political articles, and we urge you to visit the source sites. Any comments may be noted on site or directed to KarisChaf at gmail.

Friday, February 21, 2014

Michelle Obama’s multi-billion-dollar campaign to revolutionize the
inner city diet by bringing healthier foods to low-income neighborhoods
is failing miserably, according to a new study, yet American taxpayers
are being forced to continue funding the costly initiative.

The goal is to eliminate “food deserts,” common in poor, minority
communities where fresh, healthy food is tough to find or often
unavailable. This has created a national epidemic of obesity, according
the Obama administration, and the government has a duty to intervene. As
part of a $4.5 billion law (Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act) pushed through by the First Lady the government commits hundreds of millions of dollars annually
to bring whole foods—vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean meats and
low-fat dairy—to underserved neighborhoods nationwide.

Among the areas that have received a chunk of money is Philadelphia,
where so-called food deserts were once rampant. Besides getting millions
from Michelle Obama’s measure, the area has received generous grants
from a $15 billion fund tied to her husband’s disastrous healthcare law
as well as “stimulus” cash to combat obesity,
according to a news report. The money has helped build new markets and
added healthy food options to convenience stores in the city’s
low-income neighborhoods.

So, has the pricey effort to eradicate food deserts paid off? Are the
residents of these underserved areas any healthier after getting their
government-funded fruits and veggies? The answer to both questions is a
resounding no. After six months, there was no significant improvement in
the body-mass index of local residents or in their consumption of
fruits and vegetables, according to a new academic study. Researchers considered more than 1,000 Philadelphia residents who lived in areas once considered food deserts.

The researchers concluded that the new neighborhood grocery stores
increased awareness of food access, but didn’t alter dietary habits or
obesity. “We found that the intervention moderately improved residents’
perception of food accessibility,” the researchers write.
“However, it did not lead to changes in reported fruit and vegetable
intake or body mass index.” Therefore, the introduction of healthier
cuisine—compliments of Uncle Sam—in food deserts is not enough to put a
dent on obesity rates. Don’t expect the Obama administration to stop
pouring money on this experiment, however.

In the last few years the administration has dedicated huge sums to eradicate food deserts. This includes $75 million to study ways of better recognizing the nutritional needs of low-income communities and more than $100 million in
Obamacare grants to “reduce health disparities” between minorities and
whites by, among other things, eliminating food deserts.

Courage In America strives to locate news articles that may interest readers. However, while we include stories from sources which we believe to be reliable and credible, we do not write the articles nor do we establish that they are correct. We accept no responsibility for the accuracy or reliability of information provided here and encourage readers to do their own research.